


By Thy Hand And Thy Spirit

by LadyNoir007



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Lives, Allison-centric, Everyone Is Alive, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Tearful reunion, The Nemeton can be a good thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-02 19:24:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2823308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNoir007/pseuds/LadyNoir007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Allison died, she thought it was the end. But fate (and possibly something bigger than everything she knew) brought her back from the dead, with more than humanity riding on her shoulders. With impending doom looming over the pack, and with her own heart in conflict, can she set the lives of everyone she left behind right again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Breaths Are The Hardest To Take

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this was really hard to write and it's one of those things that I have envisioned for ages but couldn't out it into words and here you go!

_The pain had been brief, The Oni’s sword had pierced into her and she couldn’t believe it. She'd been stabbed. She was going to die.  The shock of this actually happening...it was so strong, and she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Not even as she began to collapse to the ground. No. It couldn’t be. She’d come so far, she couldn’t die now. And Scott...oh Scott. He was trying to take the pain, but nothing hurt, all she felt was the cold, and she smiled at him. The silly boy who had made her feel as if she were the only one in the world and had loved her so with so much of himself...how could it end like this?_

_“It’s okay,” Allison said, looking up at the boy holding onto her, nodding and feeling the gentle embrace of the chill washing over her, “I’m in the arms of the first person I ever loved, the person I’ll always love. I love you. I love you, Scott McCall.” Nothing hurt. Oh the cold was so numbing and she could see the darkness slowly seeping in. And Scott...she had to tell him. Tell him to remind her dad. The arrow. The arrow it killed the Oni, and she had to tell him….though the words never came, because the cold that had come washing through her body finally took her under and she let it...slipping into darkness without a worry in the world…._

 

Allison’s eyes flew open, and she gasped, her hands pressing to her body as she flew upright, as if checking herself for blood, for a wound, anything to show her she was not okay.  Yanking up her shirt when she saw no visible blood and feeling nothing but gentle soft skin under her hands, she frowned and pushed her hair back from her face.

“What?” She said softly, trying to find evidence of a scar, of a life threatening wound by poking the skin and gently pulling at it. “What is happening?” She was dying. No. She was _dead_. Gone. Already floating towards...whatever place there was beyond life. But...she seemed to be alive. She could feel the heartbeat under her skin and the breath filling her lungs as she sat there in the bed. Was death supposed to feel like life?

Looking around after getting her heart to stop pounding, it seemed to be that she was in a room. Her own room. Or...it looked mostly like her room. The blankets and the pillows on the bed she was in looked like hers, as did the trinkets and the jewelry on the dresser and side table. There were a few clothes on the floor, and they were hers, but the carpet and the walls weren’t...the right color. And the curtains weren’t either.

Scooting over to the side of the bed, she put her feet on the floor and stood, sighing as she raised her arms over her head and stretched, grunting as she felt a few bones popping back into place, stopping after the burn of the stretch slowly went away. Lowering her arms she grabbed the hoodie hanging off the bedpost and wrapped herself up in it, moving to the door and pausing before opening it.

“Hello?” She called, looking around and stepping out of her room, closing the door behind her as she moved into the hall. She was in the house she and her parents had first moved into when they came to Beacon Hills...though the walls were white and so were the wooden floors.  “Hello? Anyone home?” She called again, moving slowly down the stairs. The usual furniture wasn’t there, the space was so minimal it didn’t feel right as she made her way into the foyer, and moved into the living room.

The couch and love seats were inside, so were a few other things, but no television or knick knacks that her parents had argued over putting up when they moved in. Looking back at the couch her heart stuttered in her chest. “M-Mom?”

Victoria Argent was seated there, smiling a little at her daughter as she shifted in her spot. “Hello, Allison. I’m glad you’re finally awake. I’ve been waiting for you.” She said with a nod, shifting in her spot and humming. Allison couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or if she really was dead. This was too weird. Way weird. Looking down, Allison looked at the table and frowned a little, kneeling down to take a closer look. In front of Victoria on the coffee table were a few trinkets. A bullet, a nail, and a vial of black liquid that made her cringe a little just by looking at it. “Choose.”

“Choose? Choose what exactly?”

“Your fate,” Victoria said with a nod and a shrug “Cliche, I know. But...it’s the rules.”

Allison looked at her mother and shook her head. What on earth was she talking about? Rules? What rules? And why did she have to choose?

“Take your time,” Victoria said with a nod, sitting back and looking at her daughter. “The choice is permanent and you cannot choose again.”

“But..I don’t understand, why do I have to choose at all? They’re just...things. Are they significant? They’re not important looking..I don’t get it, can’t you tell me more?”

Victoria shook her head and smiled a little at her daughter, tilting her head as she looked at her. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just here to make the choice easier.” She said with a hum. “Or harder. The choice gives you new chances. Choose wisely.”

Allison looked at the trinkets and sighed a little, sitting back on her heels and pursing her lips. This was...hard. How could she choose without knowing what she was choosing exactly? What if she made the wrong choice? Her eyes wandered over the trinkets, and she kept glancing at the vial despite her curiosity at the other items. She carefully reached over and picked it up, turning it around in her hand and looked at the contents of the vial. She couldn’t see through it, and she couldn’t tell what it was by smelling it.

She held it in her hand and looked at her mother, her heart pounding in her chest as she did so. Allison was scared. She was terrified, but if she had to choose then this was her choice...whatever it was. She took a deep breath before bringing the vial to her lips and tilting it up, drinking the liquid in one go.

It tasted awful. Like gunmetal and dirt and blood mixed all into some disgusting concoction and she coughed, covering her mouth as she set the vial onto the table, letting out a breath and grimacing. “Oh my god, that...that was awful.”

Victoria smiled and she sighed. “Should have known you’d pick that of all things.” She said softly. “Take deep breaths. This will hurt.” She said moving to stand.

Allison looked at her mother and frowned about to tell her she was entirely fine, because she really was. She moved to stand before the fire began to slowly burn her from the inside and she gasped, clutching at her chest, unable to breathe properly as it bloomed further outward from her chest. Her vision swam and she tried to stand, but couldn’t find her footing and she crashed to the floor, writhing and whimpering in pain, reaching out to her mother for some sort of help, _any_ help at all.

“Oh Allison,” Victoria said softly, kneeling down and petting her hair “So much potential in you, you’re so strong. Like so many Argent women before you. I need you to do me a favor. Live. Live and make every day worth it. Because you have the power to change everything.”

Allison gurgled and coughed, black liquid coming up and spraying over the floor as she gasped, trying to curl in on herself, her body twitching as she struggled.

“Don’t fight it,” Her mother said, patting her back, “Let it happen. It’s only worse if you struggle. I...I love you Allison. Don’t ever think otherwise. We’ll see each other again one day. We will. Relax. It’s almost over.”

Allison struggled a bit more before going limp, her breath becoming shorter and shorter, fire making her sweat and writhe on the floor. _It’s like dying all over again,, only this time it hurts...it hurts so much_ , she thought, coughing up more of the vile tasting black liquid and just let the darkness consume her.

 

The first thought when she came to was that it was dark. The second was that she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t move and she had to get out. Had to get out,, because she was going to suffocate to death, and dying was not on the agenda. Not again.

She managed to get her hands up and began to punch the wall in front of her her breathing more erratic and panicked as she began to break through, pulling pieces away and pulling herself up and out, coughing as she felt dirt or something coarse like it raining down on her, digging and clawing her way out desperately.

Allison sobbed in relief when she broke through the surface, gasping and drinking in the air like a dying man without water. She pulled herself from the ground and fell back looking at her hands and sniffling, closing her eyes as tears came welling up to the surface. She let herself cry, because she had died. Twice. Going through that pain once was horrible as it was, but twice? Unbearable.

The brunette lay there on the ground until she began to fully register the cold seeping into her skin, and she sat up, realizing that she was..naked. As unclothed as the day she was born. She whimpered when she felt the wind blast over her and she staggered to her feet, looking around and letting out a slow breath as she realized she was standing in the woods. She backed up a little, trying to discern her location, when the back of her knees hit something, and she had to turn to see what it was.

Her heart did something funny in her chest as she looked down, seeing the Nemeton sprawled out before her. She could feel power vibrating in the air around her and she shifted uncomfortably, confused about what was going on. Allison reached out and hesitantly touched the top of it, jerking her hand back as something shocked her. Cradling her now throbbing hand to her chest, she looked down at the Nemeton, and slowly backed up, turning to walk away into the woods. Something was pulling her through the woods, an unnamed force that she couldn’t shake, but had to keep following it.

Clamoring over rocks and under half fallen trees, she trekked on through the thick woods, knowing that she was covered in dirt and leaves and god knew what else as she walked. She hid behind a few trees as she came up on a campsite, not seeing anyone wandering around, and noting that the fire had been put out for the night. Allison carefully stepped into the camp, making sure that the campers weren’t going to come out of the tents for a while, grabbing the first bag she found and ran off with it, yanking it open once she was a safe distance away and pulling out clothes, food and some shoes. Using the water bottle she found, she cleaned herself off, pulling a face at the feel of slimy mud coming off of her body and dragged on the clothes, rubbing her arms and curling up for a moment as she tried to warm herself up more. She was cold, she was tired, and she didn’t know where she was going.

 _Come on Allison_ , She thought, letting out a slow breath and moving to her feet, _Just keep going. You’re almost there. Almost there._

Where _there_ was she had no clue. Her feet just carried her through the woods, only stopping to wolf down the few items of food she had in the bag she had stolen before moving on. She was so hungry and tired by the time the light from the sun began to filter through the trees, and she stopped in a small clearing, sitting down on a rock and rubbing at her face, slumping over a little. She was so confused, and scared. Why was this happening? Why had she been buried under the Nemeton? Where was Scott and the others? Weren’t they looking for her? Didn’t they know where she was?

Allison hadn’t known that she had started to cry until she lifted her head and wiped at her face, and she sighed, pushing her hair back from her face and sitting up again. Pull yourself together, Allison. Crying won’t help you. It never solves anything. You’ll figure this out, she thought, nodding to herself and letting out a breath and rubbing her arms. She leant over, rummaging through the bag at her feet to try to find some food, because she couldn’t curb the hunger that was roiling through her and she needed something because she was so hungry she couldn’t stand it.

A soft huff from in front of her causing her to stop her search, and she froze, looking up slowly and sucking in a slow breath, trying to keep her heart from jumping up into her throat as her eyes leveled with the wolf sitting in front of her. It was pretty big. And dark. And Allison hoped it wasn’t gonna try to eat her because she didn’t have anything to defend herself with. _Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me,_ Allison thought, shaking her head. She slowly pulled herself up onto the rock more leaving the bag because there was no way she was going to try to carry it if she had to run, shifting backwards so she could put some distance between herself and the animal.

The wolf came closer, shoving it’s head into the bag and dragging some left over clothes out, dropping them and shaking itself out and Allison watched in near horror as it began to change, scrambling backwards and falling off of the rock to try and get away.

“ _Allison?_ Allison stop! Allison! Jesus Christ, you’re going to hurt yourself!” She stopped, looking wildly around, trying to place the familiar voice and whimpering as warm hands gently gripped her arms, pulling her to her feet and pushing her hair back. “D-Der-Derek!?” She gasped, grasping his arms tightly and looking over at him, her hands pressing to skin and poking him to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. “How...how..? What was….you were a wolf!? How is that possible? When...did that happen? What...What is going on? I don’t know what’s happening...and...and..”

“Hey. Hey, breathe. Breathe, Allison, you’re alright. That’s in...in, out. There you go.” Derek said, holding her face in his hands as he looked back at her, searching her face and shaking his head. She was real. How was that possible? He’d been at the funeral, and had seen her body. Hell, he’d helped carry her casket out to the graveyard where she was supposed to lay in peace. He thought she had been some sort of apparition in the woods, because sometimes he saw one or two of those while out running in the preserve. But...here she was. Flesh and bone and heartbeat under his hands. “Holy shit, you’re alive.”

“Yeah...I’m...I’m alive..I think.” She nodded and let out a breath, moving to sit on the rock she’d fallen off of and pushing her hair back, looking back up at him. “What’s going on? I’m not sure what's happening here.”

“You and me both.” Derek snorted, kneeling down and looking back at her, rubbing his face and shaking his head, unable to help himself as he reached over and gently poked her. She didn’t dissolve or vanish, so that was good. “We should...get you to see Deaton. Immediately. Because...I don’t know how to handle this particular situation.”

“Because I’m dead right?” Allison looked up at him and sighed heavily, her blood going a little cold at those words, but it was true. She had died. The Oni had killed her, stabbed her. She closed her eyes, because her head began to spin at the thought of dying and she couldn’t think about it anymore because it was like being shoved back into the situation all over again. “I’m supposed to be dead.”

Derek shifted a little in place and rubbed the back of his head, giving her a sympathetic look.“I...I didn’t want to...uh..”

“It’s alright. I’m...slowly getting used to the idea that I just died twice to get back here,” Allison said looking over at him,thanking god that he had taken the jogging shorts from the backpack she had stolen. “How long was I...?”

“A while,” the werewolf said with a sigh. “A long while. You were buried...god, _ages_ ago. It’s...I can’t believe I’m standing in front of you. I thought you were a ghost or something.”

“A ghost? You thought that...I was a ghost?” The girl gave the werewolf an incredulous  look and Derek nodded a bit, gesturing around him and looking back at her.

“It’s Beacon Hills. This place is basically a supernatural hotspot. You don’t think ghosts and apparitions aren’t real?” he asked, raising a pointed brow at her. Allison just sighed and shrugged shaking her head, dropping her face into her hands, because what was she supposed to say to that particular statement? “My car’s not far from here, we can drive to see Deaton and get his advice on this….situation. And maybe you can get some rest in the car as I explain all that’s happened in the recent past.”

Allison nodded, moving to her feet and gesturing for Derek to lead on. Yes. Deaton would know something. He had to tell her something that she could use, because this was confusing apparently to both her and the werewolf she was walking next to. As they walked through the woods, one question really was burning her mind as she stepped over sticks and leaves; What was the reason why she was brought back _now_ of all times? 


	2. Magic in the Air You Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton gives his opinion, Derek is in need of alcohol, and Stiles?....is a mess.

Derek kept looking over at Allison as he drove to the animal clinic, unable to shake a weird feeling that was evoked every time he looked at her, knowing she was processing everything that had happened after her passing. It was a lot of information to process at once, and he couldn’t register her silence as shock or upset. And it bothered him a little. She looked confused and conflicted at the same time, as if her mind were trying to make sure that she was thinking things through properly. And he honestly felt bad for her, because this was quite...upsetting. For everyone involved. “You okay?” He asked as he pulled to a stop at a light and looked over at her.

Allison had been running the information through her head for a bit, and she looked over at Derek when he asked if she was alright. She wasn’t, if she was going to be honest. Her life But she nodded anyway.”Yeah. I’m fine.” She looked up at him and offered a small smile, picking at her nails with a soft sigh. “We almost there?”

“Yeah. Almost,” Derek said with a nod. “Nearly. Do you need anything?”

“Could...you turn the heat up?” She asked looking at him and shrugging. “I can’t seem to get warm.”

“You can’t get warm? Allison, you’re wearing two shirts and the heat’s already turned up..” Derek said looking over at her and eying her warily.

“Derek, my fingers and toes feel like ice. I haven’t been warm the entire time I’ve been awake. And I was naked for a good portion of that time.” Allison dropped back against the seat and sighed softly, rubbing her arms as she looked out the window. “I’m so cold. Like I’ve been...standing outside in the snow without a coat on..”

The werewolf looked over at her and blinked a few times, before driving through the intersection and nodding, wordlessly reaching over to turn the heat up. He was very concerned, because it could be something serious or not at all. He wasn’t an expert on these things.

Allison shifted a little as Derek pulled his SUV up to the animal clinic, looking over at the older man with a sigh when he asked if she was okay for the fifth time, nodding and moving to get out of the truck with a sigh. It looked like nothing had changed while she had been gone, the trees were still green, lawns and hedges were still manicured, shops and businesses had carried on...it was almost surreal.

Derek locked the truck and lead her inside, making sure to turn the sign before he urged her into the clinic more.

“Deaton? Hello?” Derek called, walking up to the counter and peering into the back, “We have a bit of an emergency here. Would be awesome if we could get some help out here.”

Deaton emerged from the back after a few minutes and he smiled at Derek. “How can I help you today Derek?”

The werewolf stepped aside and he waved his hand in Allison’s direction, and she waved, offering a small smile to the man. “Hi.”

The look on Deaton’s face made Allison wince a little and she shifted a bit in place. The man came from behind the counter and moved over to her, his hand coming up to rest on her shoulder after a hesitant pause. “Well, this...certainly is something.”

“Dead girl walking.” Allison said with a short laugh, clearing her throat and rubbing at her nose. “So…”

“How long has she been with you?” Deaton asked Derek, pulling Allison into the back room and helping her up onto the table. “Has she shown signs of irritability? Irrational behavior?” He pulled a pen light from his pocket and began an examination, nearly blinding Allison with the light when he shined it in her eyes.

“Hello, I’m right here. You can ask _me_ these questions.” Allison said pointing at herself and shrugging a bit.

“No,” Derek said pegging her with an apologetic look. “No irritability or irrational behavior.”

“Strange mumblings in dead languages or urges to consume flesh? Eyes going funny?”

“By that you mean...what exactly?” Derek asked crossing his arms over his chest and raising a questioning brow at him.

“Strange color changes, bleeding from the eyes and or her eyes rolling to the back of her head?”

“No. Jesus. None of that,” Derek said, looking horrified and maybe a little sick at the mere thought of any of those things happening. He looked at Allison, who shrugged as Deaton checked her wrists “She’s just...cold. ”

“Cold?” Deaton looked at Allison and his brows went up a bit. “Just cold? Nothing else?”

Allison nodded and she held up her hands, and Deaton took one, humming softly as he moved to do a brief examination “They’re like ice. I’ve been cold since I dragged myself out of the ground. I stole someone’s clothes so I could get warmer, but...it’s not working and I’m freezing. I can’t get warm. I saw Derek _sweating_ in the car because the heat was turned up so much.”

“Whoa,” Derek said, holding up a hand and shaking his head, moving towards her, brows drawn together in confusion. “Um, excuse me. You left out the part where you dragged yourself out of the ground like some sort of fucked up zombie in a Romero film.”

Allison rolled her eyes and shook her head, rubbing at her face with a soft sigh. “Why do you think you found me in the woods, stupid? I told you, I had been wandering around without clothes for a while. I...pulled myself out of the ground. Near...Near the Nemeton. I was buried there I think. I clawed my way out of a box...I think. And pushed my way out of the ground. Yes, like a daisy.”

“That explains this.” Deaton said from behind Allison, motioning for Derek to come over. Allison felt the man’s warm hand brush her hair away from the back of her neck and felt Deaton’s fingers brush over her nape feeling the fabric being pushed down, tracing a pattern onto her skin. “See that? I think we found clue number one.”

“That’s nordic? I think? Look at it,” Allison shivered as she felt Derek brush his fingers over her nape, tracing the same pattern that Derek had, “Now how did I not see that? .”

“Very good, Derek,” Deaton nodded, impressed with the werewolf,“And her hair covered it well. It’s called a valknut. Very old symbol. It’s of germanic and scandinavian origin, and it’s meaning is...a little construed. But it could mean a number of things. The three triangles could mean a few things. The points of them could mean the nine realms of nordic belief. The triangles themselves could mean birth, death, and reincarnation...I could go on. Basically, translated it means ‘knot of those slain in battle’, if I’m up to date on my current symbology.”

“I need a drink,” Derek muttered, sighing and rubbing his face. “So, what you’re saying is, that someone brought her back to life because she died in battle?”

“It could be that reason, yes. Or it could be something else. We won’t know until more happens in the future. Coming back from the dead...now that’s powerful magic that even I haven’t seen for myself.”

“So, basically, you can’t help us?” Derek asked, leveling a look at the emissary with a huff.

Deaton shrugged and looked at Allison, crossing his arms over his chest as she straightened. “I’d suggest a visit with a private physician. To make sure everything is in order...and we go from there. She’s alive. Welcome back Allison.”

“I don’t--how in the hell am I going to explain this to the pack?” The werewolf asked, looking at Deaton. “Her death--sorry to say Allison-- messed a lot of us up. Isaac couldn’t utter the words to our home town without problems for weeks. Scott? Totally _wrecked_. And don’t even get me started on everyone else.”

“You two will find the means.” Deaton nodded slowly and smiled at them. “That’s what is so interesting about you lot. No matter the struggle or strife...you find the means that make everyone feel peace in the long run.”

Allison and Derek looked at one another and Derek nodded. “Okay. So, I’ll hide her at the loft until this...is sorted.” he said with a shrug. “If you’re alright with that, Allison?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah. It’s fine. I need a shower. And food, and sleep...I feel like I need a recharge.”

“Magic is quite draining, even for those not directly using it.The power was usurped from the Nemeton, and when you touched it, some of the energy used to bring you back was probably brought into it. ” Deaton said with a nod. “And the Nemeton is a source of great power, I’m surprised you’re not flying off the walls with energy that it gave back..”

“...I did get shocked by it when I touched it.” Allison admitted, rubbing her hand where she’d gotten hurt. “Hurt too. Like...touching a stun gun or touching an electric socket and it gives you a good zap.”

“Hm. Well, at least you’re not trying to kill us, so that’s a start.” Derek snorted, looking at her and ducking his head a bit when she gave him a pained look.

The trio eventually bid their farewells, with Deaton asking to be updated on Allison’s health and any notable things before Derek and Allison disappeared out of the clinic. The werewolf and the archer sat in the car in silence for a long while, before Derek spoke up.

“I hope you know,” He glanced over at her and shifting around in his seat, “That this is very weird for me. And if I do anything or say anything that makes me out to be an asshole, it’s because...I’m trying to work through this...situation and it’s not your fault.”

Allison looked back at Derek, letting out a long sigh and she nodded, looking at her hands and picking at her nails a bit. She could understand the strangeness and the awkwardness of her being alive after so long of being dead. People had gone through a lot of pain, and anguish over her passing. And now those wounds were going to be ripped wide open again, and Allison didn’t know if she could go through the sight of watching that grief washing over those she cared about.

“I know. Just take your time, Derek. I’m going to be working through some stuff myself. Like the weirdness surrounding my coming back to life. And trying to help mend those that were destroyed because of the situation. So don’t worry about it.” Allison sat back in her seat and looked out the window with a soft huff. Perhaps the exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with her, or maybe she was just letting herself, but she fell into sleep. She was tumbling head first into dreaming and it was pleasant...until it wasn’t. The details were mixed up and wrong, and she could hear so much screaming and she felt trapped and couldn’t move. The landscape was twisted and warped, the trees all gnarled and mangled, as if they were reaching out towards her. Looking up at the moon over head, she watched in curiosity and horror as it bled into a deep crimson and she screamed as claws came out of the darkness around her and digging into her chest to try and rip out her heart.

“Allison! Allison wake up!” She came to with a shout, struggling against a firm grip on her arms and she looked up at Derek, her breath coming in uneven gasps. Her only thought to run and get away from there as fast as possible, before her jaw was gently grabbed and she was turned to face the werewolf’s.

“Just breathe,” Derek said with a nod, easing his grip off of her gently as her heart began to slow to a normal rate. “That’s it. In….out. You’re fine. Again, in...out..”

She didn’t know how long they sat there, with Derek guiding her through basic breathing exercises and him gently talking to her before she looked over at him and nodded. Her heart didn’t feel like it was trying to jump out of her chest anymore, and she patted his hand. “I’m..I’m okay now.”

Derek looked on in concern and he nodded, helping her out of the SUV and locking it behind him abefore guiding her into his building, pressing the button for the elevator once both were inside. He looked at her and wondered what was going on. Because people didn’t just come back from the dead for no reason. Peter was a great example of this, though he was actually...getting the help he needed. Derek had even visited him and he seemed to be doing well.

Allison leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, sighing as she looked up at the lights, listening to the large elevator carry them up to the loft. She could remember the few dozen times that she had ridden in that same elevator with everyone else, and she had to clench her fists, digging her nails into her palm so she’d not cry. Things weren’t going to be the same, but then again, they’d faced so much and when she died, everyone had faced horrors that she couldn’t even begin to fathom because she hadn’t been there.

When the doors in the elevator opened she let Derek lead her into the loft, and she sighed a little, rubbing at her forehead as she moved to sit on the couch, looking around and noting that nothing had really changed. It was still minimally decorated and sort of cozy in a weird way like she remembered and she leaned over, resting her head on the arm of the couch.

“So…” Derek said, shifting a little as he looked over at her. He let out a breath and cleared his throat. “I’m going to order in. Help yourself to anything that you need. And we’ll...figure out how to explain this to everyone.”

“Yeah, okay,” Allison sat up and moved to her feet, “Sounds like a plan. I need to shower. And get into new not gross clothes.And sleep for a year…”

Derek snorted softly and nodded. “You...know where everything is. Help yourself to some clothes. Erica left some over here a few weeks ago when we had pack night, so...yeah.”

That tugged at her heart a little. The fact that they all hung out and still managed to have something that kept them all together was heartbreaking and comforting all at the same time. She wondered about everyone’s lives, what they were doing and wanted desperately to just...talk to them again. But she knew that it’d take time. And hey. She had all of the time in the world.

She glanced at Derek as she passed by to go into the bedroom, easily spotting the leopard print bag that Erica had left behind, and rummaging through it for clothes before going to lock herself in the bathroom. She lay back against the door, and slid down until she was seated on the floor closing her eyes.

“Don’t you dare,” She whispered to herself, wiping furiously at her eyes as tears began to blur her vision.“Tears get you nowhere. Pull yourself together, Allison. You’re alive, everyone’s safe. Stop crying. Stop it.Stop...” She sniffed, wiping at her face and whimpering softly, the tears eventually just coming from behind the dam she’d built up for so long.

After a few moments of letting go and letting herself feel the emotions that she hadn’t felt when she left this part of life, the fear and the pain that had seemingly been pushed away, she sniffed and wiped at her face, letting out a slow breath before picking herself up off of the floor to get into the shower. Watching the dirt and mud that she hadn’t got off of her body earlier in the day go down the drain was...therapeutic in a strange way. As if she were washing away the old her, coming into her new life with bright eyes and maybe some hope in there.

She dried her hair and wiped the mirror clean, finally looking herself in the eye for the first time since coming back. And...she was surprised to see that nothing had changed. Here eyes were still the same shade of rich chocolate, and her hair hadn’t gone a funny color when she came back, so that was good. Shifting around, she pulled her hair away from the back of her neck and blinked at the glaring black tattoo that was inked into her skin. She reached up and touched it in awe. She’d always talked about doing something brave like getting a tattoo. But had never done it. Allison looked at it for a few more moments before picking up Erica’s clothes and pulling them on.

Allison had to roll up the sleeves on the shirt she wore, but she came out of the bathroom and was hit with the scent of pizza as she walked into the loft, spotting Derek as he pulled open a box.

“Hey.” He said with a small smile. “Feel any better?”

“Um, hi.” She said with a nod, waving a bit as she moved over, humming at the smell of cheese and the fresh crust as she pulled open one of the boxes. “Yes. Just...hungry now.”

“Help yourself, I bought four pies.” Derek said with a nod, gesturing to the boxes on the table in front of him before taking a bite of the pizza in his hand and moving to sit. Allison found a chair and sat down herself, dragging a box over and pulling a slice out, humming as she bit into it. She ate until half of the pizza was gone and sat back in her chair, finally content and full.

Derek kept checking his phone and he pulled a face at the screen, and Allison swore that he was going to break the screen if he typed any harder. “Is everything okay? You look like you’re about to break you phone in half.” She pointed out, picking at a leftover piece of crust she didn’t eat and looking at the older man. Derek looked at her and shook his head, rolling his eyes a little and growling a bit in frustration.

“It’s Stiles. We usually hang out once or twice a week. I cancelled once and he was planning on coming over tonight and I told him I was cancelling, and he is convinced something’s wrong and he is coming over. Right now.”

Allison paled, dropping the piece of crust in her hand and looked over at him, shaking her head. Not Stiles. She could handle a lot. Werewolves being real. Alpha packs trying to kill her friends.Crazy nogitsune trying to kill everyone. Even coming back from the dead. But not Stiles in a tizzy over Derek. At least not now. Because she wasn’t ready to face anyone yet. “Oh my god. No. Tell him not to come over! Tell him to go away!”

“What do you think I’m doing!?” Derek said in exasperation, turning back to his phone as it buzzed again. “This is Stiles, we’re talking about. Our flailing idiot Stiles who is sometimes way too concerned for his good.  He’s more stubborn than a mule. And that’s being nice.”

Derek had to leave the table to answer his phone when it began to ring loudly and Allison flinched when he started yelling at Stiles over the phone, walking away from the table and growling at him. Allison shook her head and she dropped her head into her arms, sighing as she closed her eyes. She didn’t know how long she sat there with her head in her arms, trying to block out the shouting when she heard the loft door slam open. Oh no, she said with a sigh.

“Stiles! Go away!” Derek shouted stalking towards the teen. “I already told you that I didn’t want you coming over here tonight! Are you illiterate and deaf!?”

“Oh no,” Stiles said, levelling a look at the older man and stalking into the loft, raising a finger and pointing at him. “You don’t get to just cancel on me twice in the same week and just expect me to just let it go. Cause we’ve been doing this for weeks and it’s the only down time I have and now you...wait.” Stiles peered behind Derek and his brows came together, shaking his head. “Hold the phone. Who’s that?”

“Who’s who?” Derek asked, and Allison shook her head and dragged a hand over her face with a huff. Playing dumb was not one of Derek’s talents apparently. She picked up her plate and tried to make herself busy, trying not to turn around and ultimately give Stiles a heart attack. Because she didn't think that Stiles' father would really appreciate having his son carried out of the loft in a body bag.

“You know who!” Stiles snapped walking up to the werewolf and poking him in the chest before pointing at the brunette behind Derek. “Her. The chick. Dude, you didn’t tell me you had someone over...is she wearing Erica’s shirt? Oh my god, she’s gonna be _pissed_. I can’t believe you’re having a sexy sleepover and are letting some stranger wear Erica’s clothes!”

“ _What!?_ ” Both Allison and Derek yelped in unison.

“That’s what’s happening here right? Sexy sleep over? Oh..wait, is this the before the sexy stuff? You buy her dinner, you offer cuddling--”

“Stiles you idiot, no! There’s no sexy sleep over or _any_ kind of sleep over! Where do you get this stuff? Seriously?”

The shock of Stiles’ words hit the girl so hard it was like a slap to the face. Allison dropped the plate she was holding in her hands and it shattered at her feet. She gasped and tried to move but hissed as pieces of the broken plate digging into her feet. “Ow! Oh my gosh, Derek, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. !t just slipped and--”

“It’s fine, just stop moving. You’re going to hurt yourself. It’s not your fault, Stiles doesn’t know how to control his mouth and he just--”

“ _Allison!?_ ” She looked over at Stiles, wincing a bit at the shocked look on his face. A strong part of her wanted to tell him to close his mouth in case of flies but she didn’t think that’d be too funny. She shifted a little and she watched as he gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing as if he didn’t know what to say. What was Allison supposed to do? Stand there stupidly? Start explaining what was going on?

She opted for something better and offered a small smile. “Um...hi, Stiles.” Allison waved, and gasped as she watched as his body went limp and gasped as he crashed to the floor in a dead faint. “Oh my god! Stiles!”

Derek shook his head, dragging his hands over his face as he grumbled and swore under his breath. He let out a slow breath and looked over at her. “He’ll be fine on the floor for a few minutes. I’ll go get the broom. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so to those wondering about the valknut thing..I did some research and visited a lot of sites and stuff. So if anything is wrong, just let me know. 
> 
> Kudos and feed back are appreciated. :3


	3. Hold Your Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is set in motion...

“Is he waking up?”

“I don’t know, I think. Go get the bag of peas from the freezer for his head, won’t you? Stiles? Stiles. Stiles, wake up.”

Stiles slowly blinked open his eyes, and grunted as he was slapped, reaching up and cupping his face. Because holy pope on a pogo stick that fucking hurt! He knew it had to be Derek that slapped him. Damn it. Stupid, strong werewolf motherfu--

“If you utter those last two syllables, I’ll slap you again on the other side twice as hard.” Derek warned, raising a brow at the younger man as he blushed and stuttered out an apology before shaking his head. “You okay? Any injuries besides the mess that’s your face?”

“Oh, ouch. That hurts right in the soul, Sass Brows.” Stiles snorted blinking a little looking up at Derek and rolling his eyes. Wow. It seemed the more he hung out with Derek the more jokes seemed to be aimed at his head. “Seriously, that kind of hurts. Like my face does right now.”

After a minute of digging in the fridge, Allison had returned with the bag in her hands and she held it out for the werewolf. “I brought the peas you asked for Derek.”

“Thank you Allison.” Derek said, taking the bag from her and holding it out for Stiles. “Here, for your face.”

Stiles reached for the bag, thanking him and pushing the frozen bag to his face in relief. For a few moments he sat there, holding the bag to his face, before his eyes bugged out of his head and he jerked upright in a flurry of flailing limbs and an awkward squawk that sounded like a dying bird. He looked over at Allison...at Allison! She was dead! Was he concussed? Jesus what was going on.

“Stiles, breathe you idiot!” Derek said, slapping him on the back and Stiles coughed a bit, having forgotten to breathe when he found himself looking at the now not dead Allison Argent in the room, dragging in a deep breath and looking at Derek.

“Am I dreaming? Am I dead!? Did that fall kill me? Or am I concussed? Oh my god, I have to be dreaming. This isn’t real!” Stiles shouted, flailing a bit as he jabbed accusing fingers in every direction and causing Derek and Allison to step back a bit to not get hit. Stiles paused in his ranting after a moment and he flew to his feet, moving towards Allison and stopped, eyeing her warily. “You’re dead. You...You’re supposed to be dead! Not alive! Oh my god...dude. Are...are you real? Oh my god, you’re real aren’t you? Like you’re not gonna eat me are you? like in the movies?”

Allison shook her head at him and sighed, offering a small smile. Same old Stiles. “I’m not going to eat you, Stiles,” She said, taking his hand and placing it on her shoulder. “See? Real living non-undead flesh. And no, I don’t feel the urge to rip your face off and eat it either.”

Stiles blinked, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze and looking back at her, shaking his head before pulling her into a tight hug. Allison’s arms went around him and she patted his back.

“Oh my god. Allison…you’re alive. Holy...” he said, squeezing her and pulling back, looking at her with a very broken expression on his face, and Allison could just see the heartbreak happening all over again for him. “I’m..I’m sorry. Oh my god, Allison, I’m so sorry. It’s--”

“Not your fault.” She said softly, pulling him in for another tight hug and rubbing his back in comforting circles, feeling him sag against her and squeeze tightly. “Not one bit. Okay? I don’t blame you at all for it, Stiles. That’s the risk you pay for playing with the supernatural, right? I knew that coming along would have been dangerous. And I was doing it for you. Because you’re my friend and I care about you. Just don’t, okay? It’s not your fault, Stiles.”

Stiles just stood there, hugging her and convincing himself that this was indeed real. That she was alive and breathing as he hugged her. He sniffed a little and was kind of glad that she was letting him hold onto her. And, oh god, that was her laughing, and hugging him back. Pulling back he looked at her letting out a breath.

“Better?” She asked with a smile, patting his side.

“Yeah.” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “Yeah. I’m good. I just have one quick question; how are you alive? How...how is this possible? I mean, it’s not that I’m not happy to see you but it’s just that you’re alive and breathing and I don’t know what to think...just how. Are we talking...voodoo? Or black magic? Or is it sorcery?”

Allison and Derek looked at one another and she shrugged. “We don’t know,” Allison said shaking her head. “I’m just back. It’s...weird. I’ll explain more later on how I came back. But I’m glad to be back where I belong.” She rubbed at his arms and sighed.  “Now it’s just a matter of breaking the news to everyone else.”

Stiles nodded as he pulled away, rubbing over his face and shaking his head, letting out a heavy breath as he looked between the werewolf and the archer. That was going to be a predicament in itself, and he hummed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You see why we’re hiding now?” Derek asked after coming back from the kitchen and leaning against one of the support beams in the room with a huff. “We can’t just let her walk around town, she’s dead in the eyes of the public. And to those close to her...well..”

“I get it.” Stiles said with a snort, aiming a look at Derek. “So, what do we do now?”

“We?” Derek asked with a pointed look at Stiles.

“Yes Derek, we,” Allison said looking over at him and nodding. “Stiles knows about me now, and if we play our cards right, the three of us can come up with a plan to break the news to everyone in a calm and gentle atmosphere.” She shrugged. “My dad needs me. Since my mom passed he hasn’t been the same. I was all he had and then...well, you know. And from what Derek has told me he’s been roaming around the world. And Issac is still in France apparently? I think it’s time they come home.”

Stiles and Derek exchanged looks and they shrugged, smiling a bit at one another before looking at Allison. It was definitely her. There was no denying it. Stiles moved over to hug her again and she patted his back.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Allison. I was missing my kick ass Disney princess.” He said with a grin, and Allison laughed, giving him a squeeze and smiled over at Derek. She hummed and she nodded, kissing his cheek and pulling away to look over at the werewolf standing not far to her left.

“Here’s your excuse to hang out.” She said with a snort, and she smiled a bit when Derek began to laugh at her. And it was amazing. She hadn’t really seen him smile like that before, and she hoped that he’d found a reason to smile like that more often.

After a few more minutes of Stiles finally realizing that Allison wasn’t going to disappear, they settled around the table, picking at pizza and talking amongst themselves. Derek eventually wandered away to take care of a few things, leaving Stiles and Allison at the table to talk more about things.

“So...yeah. That’s it really. Scott’s with Kira and they seem to be happy. Though...I catch him thinking about you sometimes. He plays it off well, but..I know him and he doesn’t get that I know what he’s doing.” Stiles said with a sigh.

She nodded and picked at her nails, pursing her lips as she sat there listening to Stiles talk about Scott and Kira’s relationship. “It was just all so crazy back then...” She said looking back at him. “I’m back, yeah, but...if he’s happy I don’t want to jump in on his relationship and ruin everything. That’d be...so awful of me.”

“Kinda...but you’ve been de--gone for a while.” Stiles said with a nod. “He’s healing and Kira’s good for him. Though I have no idea how this’ll affect him…”

“Stiles, it’s going to reopen wounds. Huge gaping wounds.” She said with a huff. Allison could just imagine the pain that was going to be caused. And she didn’t know how she was going to deal with it, because the wounds were healing...and now they were going to be ripped wide open again

“It’ll be okay, Allison.” Stiles said with a nod. “Trust me. We’ve handled a lot of crazy in our lives so far. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of what insanity could go on. THis is like a six on the crazy scale.”

“A six? What’s a ten?”

“Zombies. Or anything apocalyptic...or if we all suddenly start having normal lives again.” Stiles said with a solid nod. Allison gave him a look and nodded slowly as that sank in a little and she held out her hands looking at them and humming as she picked at her nails.

They were quiet for a few minutes until Stiles piped up. “Why don’t we practice how we’re going to reveal you to the pack? Cause the delivery is everything, y’know?” Stiles offered with a grin. “Oh wow, I can just see it now..”

“I’m not swinging in on a rope.” Allison said looking at him and shaking her head. She sat back in her chair and pushed her hair back from her face. “I’m just gonna walk into the room, or where ever we’re going to be and will just...say hi.”

Stiles looked at her for a moment as if she had grown another limb and shook his own head with increasing speed. “No. Nope. We’re not doing that. It has to be more sincere. Come on, try again.”

It was an hour and a half of sitting there and figuring out how they were going to do the reveal, that even Derek came in and offered his two sense. Because this was a delicate situation and they weren’t prepared at the moment. But they knew they had to do this soon.

“God, this is so irritating.” She groaned in frustration and tugged at her hair. “Okay. Okay. What about this? Yes. I’m back from the dead as you can see. I know that there are a lot of questions..but I’ve got some of my own that even I can’t answer. I’ve got a weird tattoo because someone chose me for something--Don’t know what yet--and I’m going to figure out why as soon as I can so in case it’s dangerous I’ll let you all know...how was that? Was it acceptable and sensitive enough?”

Stiles shrugged and he looked up at Derek. “Good right?”

Derek looked over at her and put his hands on the back of Stiles’ chair, leaning over and shaking his head. “I think, that either way, someone’s going to either pitch a fit or faint.”

“Ten bucks it’s Lydia that faints.” Stiles said with a smirk, leaning to look up at Derek and grinning. The older werewolf snorted and rolled his eyes, gently smacking him in the back of the head.

“If she heard that coming out of your mouth she’d kill you,” He said shaking his head. Derek shifted a bit behind him and sighed. “Twenty it’s Erica.”

“You are so on.”

“Um, guys?” Both looked at Allison and she shrugged. “Can we get back to the planning of my ultimate return to life? What about my dad? Have you heard from him?”

“Chris is in Romania right now,” Derek said with a nod. “I persuaded him to come on the assumption of ‘strange happenings’ in town that we couldn’t get a hold on.”

“Luring her dad here under false pretenses, nice one Derek.” Stiles said with a snort, smirking up at him.

“Shut up, Stiles,” Derek said with a small smile, gently pushing the younger man with a shake of his head. “And he’s bringing Isaac, so we’re good on that end.”

Allison nodded and she let out a breath. Things were coming together slowly but surely and she knew that this was going to be one of the hardest things that she’d ever do in her life. Picking up the cup in front of her and sighing into it. She could make it through this. She had to. For her sake and the sake of all those that she cared about.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's a little shorter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
